Adopting a Big Dog In Singapore

[ttuguy421]

Hey all, I am hoping that maybe someone can shed some light on this topic. My wife and I were looking to adopt a dog today and the one we fell in love with is a Bull Mastiff, she is on the list of dogs where we would be required to get personal insurance of $100,000 and a bankers guarantee of $2,000 in case of an accident.

My question is this, has any one else had to do this?? What were the approx. costs of the insurance and bankers guarantee? Thanks to anyone who might be able to give some insight into this.

Cheers!

[sundaymorningstaple]

I can't answer your question, but I sure feel sorry for the dog as every time you leave your house/property with the dog, it HAS TO BE MUZZLED! Regardless of how hot it might be.

[Strong Eagle]

This is a most unfortunate breed to have living in Singapore. It must be muzzled as SMS pointed out, although I have seen muzzles that permit the dog to pant and drink water while still prohibiting biting movements.

You are good folks if you can provide a yard and some space for the animal. If you're planning on a condo, don't do it. And expect that when you walk this dog, everyone here will cross to the other side of the street. After all, it's a dog on the signs in every park that must be muzzled.

[ttuguy421]

What we find ridiculously Singaporean is the dogs that are on that list... Any one who knows anything about dogs knows that certain breeds are not inherently "dangerous" it is about how dogs are raised, similar to humans...
However it seems the list was put together by people who know nothing about dogs and simply see a name, or size and its on the list.

We have always had big dogs, and had to leave our pitt bull / Shepard mix at home with my parents on our farm along with our boxer, people assume if it is any part pitt bull that you must protect your women and children from her when nothing could be further from the truth. I can't help to admit that a small part of my wanting this bull mastiff is to take her out among the locals and see their reactions to such a huge dog

[Mary Hatch Bailey]

Really the only way I see it working is if you yourself are in a Black & White or you have a friend with one so you can set up regular, high quality 'off the leash' time.

Good luck.

[Shawnch]

Please use the classifieds

moderator

[ecureilx]

Hey all, I am hoping that maybe someone can shed some light on this topic. My wife and I were looking to adopt a dog today and the one we fell in love with is a Bull Mastiff, she is on the list of dogs where we would be required to get personal insurance of $100,000 and a bankers guarantee of $2,000 in case of an accident.

My question is this, has any one else had to do this?? What were the approx. costs of the insurance and bankers guarantee? Thanks to anyone who might be able to give some insight into this.

Cheers!

My colleague did get an AVA license, not sure of the breed, me thinks it was german shepherd .. it was around that amount .. PM me -if you need specifics. ...

Cheers

[x9200]

What we find ridiculously Singaporean is the dogs that are on that list... Any one who knows anything about dogs knows that certain breeds are not inherently "dangerous" it is about how dogs are raised, similar to humans...
However it seems the list was put together by people who know nothing about dogs and simply see a name, or size and its on the list.

Give yourself a thought that they might have known a lot about people. You are probably not even near to an average potential owner.

[LMLMD]

This is an interesting topic as I am considering taking a position in Singapore and have always had dogs. I know the HDB only allow small breeds in HDB blocks, under 10kg. What is the situation with private landlords? Is it hard to find a place that allows tenants to have dogs? Do they often impose size/breed restrictions?

Also, does the muzzle rule apply to all large breeds? Thinking specifically of GSD and Belgian Shepherd (Tervuren). Does anyone have any experience with these dogs in SG in a more general sense too, i.e. attitudes toward them, knowledgeable vets experienced with big breeds, and canine behaviourists with the same? Also thinking about how they adapt to the weather (especially long coats) and any illnesses that may befall them, as well as just handling the urban envrionment.

[ecureilx]

Give yourself a thought that they might have known a lot about people. You are probably not even near to an average potential owner.

Yes - and the limited time I spent with guys from AVA, I only had respect for them, and many a lot are highly qualified people, and a sprinkling of expats too - and they know the world and animals and plants much better than us I guess ..

[ttuguy421]

x9200
I am not saying that the AVA is not full of qualified people. However I would argue with anyone that believes a certain breed of dog is inherently dangerous. This is similar to saying that "All Black people are lazy" or "All Asians are smart" generalizations in anything will get someone in trouble. There is a similar problem in the States were many landlords and apartments will not allow pit bulls because of a few bad apples. In reality pitt bulls are some of the most sweet and gentle dogs if raised correctly and are wonderful around children and extremely loyal dogs. In my experience with dogs it is usually the smaller ones that are more apt to bite, maybe this is due to size and feeling threatened, however the consequences of a small dog biting someone is obviously less than that of a large breed. One of the most "dangerous" dogs is a Chow Chow according to experts, however this is no where on the list and on the flip side Bull Mastiffs appear no where on this list and in fact are known to be "gentle giants"

Can any dog be dangerous? Yes.. are all "dangerous" dogs deadly and something to be feared?? No... To make such a statement is to be ignorant

[ttuguy421]

This is an interesting topic as I am considering taking a position in Singapore and have always had dogs. I know the HDB only allow small breeds in HDB blocks, under 10kg. What is the situation with private landlords? Is it hard to find a place that allows tenants to have dogs? Do they often impose size/breed restrictions?

Also, does the muzzle rule apply to all large breeds? Thinking specifically of GSD and Belgian Shepherd (Tervuren). Does anyone have any experience with these dogs in SG in a more general sense too, i.e. attitudes toward them, knowledgeable vets experienced with big breeds, and canine behaviourists with the same? Also thinking about how they adapt to the weather (especially long coats) and any illnesses that may befall them, as well as just handling the urban envrionment.

We have been here a little over a year and have found the following.

A lot of locals that we have encountered while walking dogs on the street are scared or frightened of dogs, it is not uncommon to see them take a wide berth of any dog, large or small.

Muslims find dogs "unclean" and are therefore not as familiar or accepting of dogs as others.

Most private housing (either apartment or housing) will depend on the owner as to what kind of dog they will allow. Ours will allow us a small to medium sized dog with no deposit or money paid in case of damage.

The weather being hot and humid year around is certainly a strain on dogs that are used to cooler climates. Huskies and the like have a hard time here and one should be careful when taking them out and make sure they are well hydrated. Also there can be skin problems because of the heat and humidity with "hot spots" on the skin, or certain fungal infections.

We haven't had any local experience with vets yet (we hope to start on Saturday!) but there are plenty of them around.

Lastly, there are many places in Singapore where you can take your dog, such as the many parks, nature reserves, beaches etc. with a lot of walking paths. Below is a link to the AVA which will give you more of an idea on what to expect for dogs and any requirements that you need, along with the list of breeds that require muzzling while out in public.

http://www.ava.gov.sg/NR/rdonlyres/2FCF ... ov2010.pdf

http://www.ava.gov.sg/AnimalsPetSector/ ... Licensing/

[ecureilx]

x9200
I am not saying that the AVA is not full of qualified people. However I would argue with anyone that believes a certain breed of dog is inherently dangerous. This is similar to saying that "All Black people are lazy" or "All Asians are smart" generalizations in anything will get someone in trouble.

Let me quote a learned friend of mine - who argued for certain breeds to be in the 'big dog' category ..

A terrier - even if it violently attacks, can cause nothing more than scratches on a child .. whereas, a German Shepherd, playfully bits a child - or a small dog - guess what happens ??

or - it is somewhat akin to a lion, or tiger, playfully taking a swipe, which is not funny, compared to a cat taking a playful swipe .. get the point ??

Well, there have been enough cases of small dogs and children mauled by large dogs, and the authorities prefer to err on the side of caution ..

of course, you can always rent a bungalow house and fence it and ensure that prior protection is taken, but even then again....

And it doesn't help that there were cases of a bungalow house owner's dogs which bolted out when the door was open and mauled some small dog ..

After all, Singapore is a small country ..

[x9200]

x9200
I am not saying that the AVA is not full of qualified people. However I would argue with anyone that believes a certain breed of dog is inherently dangerous.
[..]
Can any dog be dangerous? Yes.. are all "dangerous" dogs deadly and something to be feared?? No... To make such a statement is to be ignorant

I would say this is about the potential and gradation. Perhaps it could be phrased differently and surely more accurate way but the purpose is to convey the message so everyone can understand it: this is not this type of the dogs you would like see mishandled. I bet I could build up an analogy based on explosives. Dynamite is not inherently dangerous but would you like to have it phrased like this for some random people? I see it more to be about social engineering then a quest to deliver the absolutely correct statements.

[ecureilx]

I bet I could build up an analogy based on explosives.

Well, this is Singapore, and unlike western countries, where they say "Guns dont' kill, it is the people who kill" - in Singapore, the law says Guns kill, and if you carry a gun even without the intention of killing anybody, you can face life in prison ..

By the way, even cops can be charged for discharging weapons, unless confronted, and there is not such thing here as 'tried to scare the guy .. '

If you lived here long enough - you will know that, and possibly seen that, unlike countries where cops shoot and ask questions here cops try to run and catch the guy before pulling out their guns .. and guns only come out if the suspect pulls out a knife or something really threatening ..

And if you have been watching news, there have been enough cases of even Cisco guards punished for leaving their workplace with their gun and also the NS guy who took out an "EMPTY" gun was recommended death penalty - ah, and in Singapore law, threatening with a gun - loaded or not, gets you the death penalty .. no ignorance of the law works ..

PS: Not a hearsy, I was also told that more than one cop had been fired and lost his/her pension benefits when they tried to break up fights by firing in the air .. though such act is the norm in most countries, and the cops can always plead that they were forced to fire ..